Make Nines to Win in This Challenging, Ambient Logic Puzzle
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
makenines (Free) by Force Of Habit is an ambient logic game about the number nine. Even if you’re not a math person, but just get a kick out of logic puzzles, then makenines is worth a look, especially as it’s free with a unique pay-what-you-want system, like a tip jar. Regardless of whether you decide to pay or not, makenines is a fun and challenging puzzle game that makes you think, so it will appeal to fans of the genre. It is similar to other games out there, such as Noda, Threes!, Divide By Sheep, and The Mesh.
Even though I did relatively well in math classes while in school, I was never particularly fond of it. Math was not too difficult for me (with some exceptions), but as I went to school mainly for the liberal arts side of things, I’ll admit I got a bit lazy when it came to mathematics. As a writer, I don’t deal with math too often, so I got rusty. But I’m a huge sucker for puzzle games, so even if numbers are involved, I’ll give it a go anyway. And since I’m actually going back to school for computer programming, refreshing my brain with math-related things is not a bad thing. Even with all of the hubbub around here lately with the release of new iPhones, Apple Watches, and their respective software updates, I’ve been finding time to sit down with makenines, and it’s definitely worth a look.
Visually, makenines sports a gorgeous, minimalistic look and feel that reminds me of Threes, except with much more color. The dark black and gray houndstooth background is nice and subtle, with some fantastic animations as you go through the game’s menus and level selection screens. The number tiles themselves are colorful with various pastel shades, and the other types of tiles are easily distinguishable from the rest due to their color (gray) and special symbols. Even though makenines appears to be flat, there’s a bit of depth added due to the angle of the tiles, as well as shadows. All animations, like when you go through the level selection screen to combining tiles in each puzzle, are buttery smooth and fluid, and there is no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. The game also comes with an captivating, atmospheric soundtrack that is rather calming, so it will help you focus on finding the solutions for every puzzle. Overall, I’m impressed with the quality of the visuals and sound for makenines, especially since it’s such a divergent path for the developers, who are known for the popular Toast Time game.
At the moment, makenines has three difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard, and all of these have 20 puzzles each. The greatest thing is the fact that you can start wherever you want, and you can also play the levels out of order, since everything is available to you from the get-go. The goal of the game is simple enough: clear the board of all number tiles by combining the tiles so that they make nine. It sounds easy enough, but things get more challenging as you progress — think of the game like sudoku, as it is a process of elimination. And while there are no hints at all in the game (like a true challenge), you can undo and redo moves as many times as you need, or just restart the puzzle without any penalties. Once all of the tiles have been cleared out, you can move directly to the next puzzle or go pick your own. There is also a set of daily casual puzzles for those who prefer something new every day.
So how do you play makenines? It’s rather elementary. Each board will be filled with number tiles that are not nine, so your job is to combine tiles until they equal nine to clear them off from the board. To do this, just slide your finger on a tile to make it move up, down, left, or right into an adjacent number tile. In the beginning, the patterns are pretty easy to spot, but the puzzles get trickier as you go, so you have to spot the patterns before you make your move. There will be different tiles introduced, which include: slides, pushers, exchangers, rotators, and stacks. But these are all implemented at a fairly gradual pace, so it’s never overwhelming.
During the little downtime I have nowadays, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying makenines. It is reminiscent of Threes, but that’s not a bad thing considering the different gameplay mechanics, and the fact that it is level-based. It’s great that it’s not linear, so you can dive into the good stuff right away, and having daily puzzles is nice for variety. I’ll be keeping makenines around on my devices for a while, and I think it’s worth contributing a few bucks to the developer for continued support and even more content in the future.
I highly recommend giving makenines a try if you’re a fan of logic puzzles and don’t mind numbers. You can find makenines on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free with a pay-what-you-want system.
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Become a Master Sushi Connoisseur in Sushi Go!
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Sushi Go! ($4.99) by Michael Busheikin of Lummox Labs in collaboration with GameWright is the mobile adaptation of the fast-paced card game of the same name. If you love quirky card games, such as Exploding Kittens, as well as a fine meal of raw fish and Japanese cuisine, then you will also enjoy what Sushi Go! brings to the table. Just watch out for those sudden cravings for nigiri and sashimi.
I don’t remember exactly when I got into sushi, but I believe it was at some point during my high school years, as this was when I began to get into Japanese culture with anime, manga, and cuisine. Ever since then (over a decade ago), sushi and sashimi have become one of my favorite foods ever, and I can never pass up an opportunity to get sushi. Another love I developed over the years was for card games, because there’s something about the rewarding experience of outwitting your opponents. The only problem is the fact that there are so many new board and card games that come out physically, I don’t usually keep track of them. So I have never heard of Sushi Go! until I saw it on the App Store over the weekend, and I must say, this is definitely one you don’t want to pass up, especially if you like sushi and cute things.
Visually, Sushi Go! is one of the most adorable card games I’ve come across. This digital version of the game takes the original artwork from the physical cards and brings them to life, as each piece of sushi, wasabi, and even pudding seems to have their own happy, bouncy personality. Even the player avatars have their own distinctive charm to them, as you have the snooty sushi snob, the hipster who tries too hard, the serious Japanese cuisine eater, and more. While the graphics are bubbly and endearing, the game still retains a rather simple and clean minimalistic design overall. The colors are bright and vivid, the sans serif text is incredibly legible, and animations are smooth and fluid. There is a whimsical little soundtrack that plays in the background (off by default, but you can toggle it in game settings), and the game has fun and delightful sound effects as you play, such as the “whooshing.” I may not have played the original physical card game, but this digital version looks and sounds good, that’s for sure.
There are two ways to play Sushi Go! on mobile: Quick Start or online multiplayer through Game Center (or through Messages starting in iOS 10). Quick Start lets you play against up to four other AI opponents, as the game is designed for two to five players. You can also invite up to four other friends for the online play, or get auto-matched with random people. Regardless of how you want to play, the objective of Sushi Go! is simple: get the best combination of sushi dishes as they whiz by on the conveyor belt. There are three rounds in each game, and the rounds last until there is no longer any more sushi to collect. As a card game, everything is turn-based, so you can take your time picking out what you think are the best sushi dishes to rack up the points at the end of the round. Once you and the other players have made your choices, the conveyor belt comes back around with another heaping of sushi for you to pick from, but it is reduced by one for each turn that has passed.
Controls in Sushi Go! are as simple as they come. At the start of the round, you may have a wide plethora of sushi to choose from on the belt — if you need to see more, just swipe horizontally along the belt to scroll. You can tap on the sushi to view detailed card information, and there’s a button to take that particular piece if you so choose. But even while you’re viewing a card’s description, you can scroll horizontally to view the details for each of the other sushi dishes available for picking. Once you’re familiar with the scoring for each card, and you prefer to speed things up, you can toggle the 1-Tap to Play option in the game’s menu.
It’s important to read the description of each sushi dish card so you understand how the scoring system works, since each one is worth a different amount, and some require a pair or set of three to get credit. For example, the egg nigiri is worth one point, salmon nigiri is two points, and squid nigiri is a whopping three points. But if you take a wasabi card before getting a nigiri, you can use the wasabi to triple the value of your next nigiri card, so they become worth three, six, and nine points, respectively. Tempura is worth five points, but only if you are able to get a pair of them, as they’re worthless otherwise. Sashimi is worth 10 points, but only if you can get a set of three. If you can get the most Maki rolls in a round, you’ll get extra points. The more dumpling sushi you have, the more points you get (the sequence goes from 1, 3, 6, 10, or 15). There’s also pudding dishes, which are important and can make or break your score — the player with the most puddings by the end of the game gets six bonus points, while the player(s) with the least amount of puddings lose six points (divided among the players if there’s a tie for least puddings).
While this seems like a lot to take in (it felt like that for me at first), the game is relatively simple and it’s not hard to remember how many points each dish is worth after a few games. Another thing to note is that while it is usually in your best interest to look out for dishes that benefit you, there’s also the fact that you can see what everyone else has after the turn, so you can use this to your advantage. If you see someone needing just one more tempura or sashimi dish to complete their set, you can take a tempura or sashimi for yourself to disrupt their flow. For such a simple little game, there is definitely a bit of strategy and planning involved if you want to become a real sushi master.
I’ve been playing Sushi Go! regularly since I downloaded the game last week, and I can certainly say that this is one that’s tough to put down. Each game does not last too long, so it’s great to play in short bursts throughout the day, and the visuals are just delightful (sushi has never looked cuter). It does not take long to get accustomed to the rules and scoring system, and there’s a surprising amount of depth and strategy involved with the game, so it will leave you hooked. The only negative thing is the fact that I’m now craving sushi more than ever, so I am sure that my wallet will take a hit if I keep satisfying those sushi cravings.
I highly recommend checking out Sushi Go! if you like sushi and card games. Sushi Go! is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $4.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Save the Earth From Zombies as Paul Pixel
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Paul Pixel - The Awakening ($1.99) by Xoron GmbH is a classic point-and-click adventure game that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where alien zombies have taken over. If you’re a fan of the point-and-click genre and love some zombie apocalypse action, then Paul Pixel is the game for you.
I know that zombies have been a sub-genre in the horror category for a long time, but it just seems to have become even more popular after “The Walking Dead” hit the airwaves. For me, I definitely got into the zombie thing much more after I fell in love with “The Walking Dead,” though I still have my own qualms regarding the show. I doubt I’ll get into every single zombie apocalypse themed show, movie, or game, but hey, I know how the gist of them go by now anyway. And as a person who grew up with 8-bit pixelated games, Paul Pixel immediately caught my attention when I saw it on the App Store this week, so I had to give it a try.
In terms of visuals, Paul Pixel is beautiful and pays a nice homage to the retro pixelated games that I grew up with. It is also a bit reminiscent of Sword & Sworcery’s style, at least with the main character sprite. Even though Paul Pixel is done up entirely in hand-crafted pixel art, there’s still a lot of detail to be found in the game, and the colors range from nice and vivid brights to darker, gloomier tones when necessary. Animations are super smooth and fluid on my iPhone 7, so I did not experience any lag or choppy frame rates. The game’s soundtrack is also a treat, as the chiptunes are made on an original Commodore C64 SID, so it’s genuine like back in the good old days. In terms of visuals and audio, Paul Pixel is quirky and delightful, serving as a nice tribute to classics.
The game starts out with a cutscene that’s done rather well, and it sets up the plot for the game. In the beginning, you will see a giant alien spaceship flying over the towering skyscrapers of a metropolitan city, emitting familiar beeps and boops. You’ll soon discover that the ships don’t just bring aliens, but they unleash a horde of brain-eating zombies unto the Earth, causing chaos and destruction as we know it. Then you’ll find Paul Pixel in his home, just chilling, until he turns on the TV and discovers that he’s living in a city that is now under quarantine. The objective of the game? To get out of the city, but then it’s up to Paul Pixel himself to save the world, naturally. If you have a good sense of humor, you will appreciate all of the game’s ludicrousness, and there are even references to pop culture that you may find hidden later on. Either way, it’s a nice homage to everything.
Controls in the game follow the traditional point-and-click techniques of older games, but everything here has been optimized for touch screens. To get Paul to move, just tap on where you want him to go to. Once he is next to the edge of the screen, he is able to move on to the next area if need be. To interact with objects in the environment, just tap on them. If they require another object first, the game informs you of what you should look for. Tapping on smaller items lets you carry them in your stash, and you can access the stash at any time by tapping on the hand icon in the bottom right corner. Select the item you want to use, and it will show up in Paul’s hand so you can go to another object or NPC and interact with them using the object.
While the controls work well enough, I did find that it can be a bit clunky at times. Another thing I don’t particularly like is the fact that when characters speak, there’s no way to go through the dialogue faster, so you just have to sit there and read it rather slowly. I wish that there was a way to just tap to advance the text, so hopefully the developer can consider adding that in a future update.
Like every point-and-click adventure game, Paul Pixel has a good amount of puzzles that you have to solve before you can advance in the game. They’re not too difficult and are usually pretty easy to solve if you are observant of the areas you’re in. There will be a bit of back-and-forth as you take closer examinations of the environment for key items, but it isn’t anything too tedious.
I’m still pretty early on in the game, but it seems that the game is not too long — the App Store description says that the entire game can be played through in about three hours. Despite the short game time, I think Paul Pixel is still worth checking out. I love the vintage pixel art style, and the SID music is top-notch. As a big fan of retro chiptune music, I found the soundtrack of Paul Pixel to be wonderful to listen to as I play, and it’s rather soothing despite the post-apocalyptic game setting. Controls work decently enough but could use further refinements to make it more intuitive and less clunky, in my opinion. I also hope that there will be a way to make the dialogue text go faster, because it feels a bit slow at the moment. Still, it’s an amusing way to pass a few hours for just two bucks.
I recommend giving Paul Pixel a try if you’re into zombie-apocalypse themes and enjoy point-and-click adventure games. Paul Pixel – The Awakening is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $1.99.
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Wrap Your Way Through Challenging Puzzles in Twisted Lines
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Twisted Lines – Mind-twisting Puzzles ($2.99) by Megagon Industries is a new minimalistic puzzle game that’s about colors and crossing lines. If you enjoyed recent games like Spectrum 6 and even And Then It Rained (the developer’s previous game), then you will like Twisted Lines.
Life has been pretty busy for me lately, so whenever I have a spare moment to just sit down and relax, I find the most joy in just zoning out with a puzzle game. Because even though I’m chilling out, I like to keep my mind sharp, so what better way to give it a workout than with a puzzle game? They’re always stimulating and fun, so it’s like having the best of both worlds. And while I have probably checked out most of the puzzle games that are on the App Store, I can’t help but get excited when I see a new one pop up every week. So when the news of Twisted Lines hit my inbox, I was excited to check it out, especially since I enjoyed And Then It Rained rather thoroughly.
In terms of aesthetics, Twisted Lines falls into the minimalistic and flat category that has become so popular ever since iOS 7 came out. I’m personally a fan of these types of designs, but I know that it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Twisted Lines features simplistic geometric shapes that compose the board, show you the start and ending points, and serve as the connection between everything. The game also makes use of bright and vivid colors that complement each other rather nicely. Animations are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus, though I’ll admit that the controls make movement a bit rough, but I’ll get to that in a bit. Twisted Lines also comes with an ambient, jazzy soundtrack that is delightful to listen to with a good pair of headphones. But the coolest thing about the music and sound is the fact that it is dynamic, as it reacts and adapts to your puzzle solution. I love games that do this, because it’s always cool to hear feedback regarding your puzzle solving in-game. Overall, Megagon has done another great job regarding the visual aesthetics and sound.
Twisted Lines has nine different chapters that contain 12 levels each. In traditional puzzle game style, you’ll have to progress through in a linear fashion, and you’ll earn keys by completing chapters. The key is necessary to unlock the next chapter, so it’s important to strive for that if you want to complete the game. Another thing to note is that if you get stuck, Twisted Lines can give you a hint on how to solve the stage. You start off with 10 hints, which is rather generous. You can get 10 more hints for a Facebook like, and another 10 for a Twitter share. And if that isn’t enough, you can buy more hints through in-app purchases: 10 for $0.99, 50 for $1.99, or unlimited for $2.99. Since Twisted Lines is already a paid game, I’m not too fond of this system, especially seeing as how a game like makenines is free with zero ads or hints and just uses a pay-what-you-want model.
The goal in Twisted Lines is have your solid square collect all of the hollow squares that are on the board. However, the key mechanic is the fact that in order to collect the hollowed squares, your solid square has to be the same color. To swap the square color, you have to cross the lines that you leave behind — the first color you cross is the hue you become. You can’t cut corners either, so you have to think about the path before your square ventures out. New game mechanics get introduced on the board as you make progress through the game. The end result is that you’ll start to see gorgeous line patterns, which you can easily snap a shot of to share with others.
All movement in Twisted Lines is done by dragging your finger from the solid square to where you want it to go. However, I’m not sure why, but the controls don’t seem as responsive as they should be. I often found my square off by a space or two, and it feels like the square doesn’t cooperate well enough with your finger’s touch, since the square elongates itself as your finger is on the screen, causing more issues for me. Another thing is that it doesn’t help visibility when your finger is covering part of the screen, and you can’t see where you should move in order to circumvent the issue mentioned earlier. You can use the “back” button that the game has in the corner to back up your square one space at a time, but it doesn’t help much when it comes to moving forward. I hope that the developers can work on better optimization for the control scheme, because at the moment it feels a bit clunky and unintuitive, tainting the overall experience.
I’ve only started playing Twisted Lines this morning, and as a puzzle fan, I love what the game brings. The visuals are aesthetically pleasing with the minimalist design, the dynamic music and sounds are delightful and a great way for players to get feedback on how they’re playing the game, and the puzzles are challenging and put your mind to work. I just wish that the controls were a bit more responsive, as I often end up fidgeting with the path to make sure the square goes where I want it to go. Hopefully this is improved in a future update. I am also not too fond of the fact that the game is paid but still has in-app purchases for hints.
I still recommend giving Twisted Lines a try if you enjoy puzzle games, but I did warn you about the controls. Perhaps time and practice will make it more tolerable.
Twisted Lines is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $2.99. There are in-app purchases.
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Slide and Spin Colored Blocks in Your Own Puzzling Huetopia
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Huetopia ($0.99) by ZealTopia Interactive is a relaxing puzzle game that is about matching the colored blocks with their appropriate spaces. If you enjoyed other colorful puzzles like Spectrum 6, Colorbars, and even Bicolor, then you will like what Huetopia brings to the genre. It’s from the same guys behind Noda and Uncarta.
These days, I’m finding myself to be busier than ever before now that I’ve returned to school and trying to get in the grind of things again. My life has become rather stressful once more, with full time work, personal life, and now round two of college. Long days are ahead of me, so whenever I have some downtime now, I cherish it. When I’m stressing out, I like to take a time out from reality and just sit back with a good puzzle game, since it lets me relax but keeps my mind stimulated, plus these games usually serve up some fantastic eye candy. While it feels like I’ve gone through most puzzle games on the App Store, I can’t help but look for more, and that’s just what I found with Huetopia, which definitely caught my eye while I perused the App Store.
Like many other puzzle games these days, Huetopia falls in line with a super minimalistic approach when it comes to the visuals. The game consists of simplistic geometric shapes that include rectangles, circles, and squares. Behind these basic shapes is a background that is split up into various sized stripes of color that correspond with the hues used in the circles that are embedded into the blocks. The colors in Huetopia are beautiful, as they range from soft pastels to more rich and vibrant tones that are sure to get your attention. While there isn’t too much movement going on in general, the subtle animations in Huetopia are smooth and fluid. There is also a rather ambient soundtrack playing in the background that I found rather calming and soothing, so it truly eases you into the focused, puzzle-solving mood.
In typical puzzle game fashion, Huetopia is based on levels, and you must solve the current one that you’re on before you can move on to the next one. However, you’re free to go back and replay any stage that you want. The objective in Huetopia is to get the blocks into their appropriate color lines by sliding and rotating them on the board along the small square notches. But don’t worry about time limits or restrictions on moves — the game lets you solve everything at your own pace, as there are no countdowns or stars to earn. It’s nothing more than brain teasers that stimulate your mind. If you want to access previous levels, or turn the music and sound off or on, just tap anywhere on the screen to bring up the menu.
Controls in Huetopia are easy and intuitive enough for anyone to understand. Blocks that are lined up vertically can only slide up or down, while horizontal blocks can only move left or right. You can rotate a block by tapping on one of the colored circles, and it will rotate the block against the selected side, which sounds a bit confusing, but you just have to see it in action. It does take a bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, things become easy and effortless.
If you get stuck, there aren’t any hints or undo buttons. However, with enough rotating and sliding blocks around, you should be able to solve any of the puzzles in the game. It’s also easy to tell when a block is in the wrong position, as an “x” appears in the circle if it’s not lined up properly. The game starts out easy enough with just two colors to match, but things get much more intricate and complex later on, where you’ll have three colors to line up with and many more blocks to move around.
I just started playing Huetopia this morning, but I’m enjoying the game experience so far. The minimal visuals are delightful, especially with the nice splashes of color, and the music is tranquil enough to help you focus. Controls are easy enough to understand, though time is needed to get used to the rotation method, and the puzzles are challenging and make you think, which is never a bad thing. I think the game could be improved by having a “restart” button though, in case you don’t feel like tinkering around with a dozen blocks to find your error and just prefer to start over. Hopefully the developer considers adding such a feature in the future.
I recommend giving Huetopia a try if you enjoy relaxing and stimulating puzzle games about color. You can find Huetopia on the App Store as a universal download on the iPhone and iPad for just $0.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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